Graduate Research Course
Savanna Megafauna Biophysics
Elephants, lions, giraffes, rhinos, hippos, leopards, jaguars and herds — the physics and physiology of being very large on a very dry continent.
Key Equations of Megafauna Biophysics
Kleiber Metabolic Scaling
\( B = B_0 M^{3/4} \)
Limb Bone Stress
\( \sigma \propto M^{1/3} \cdot g / A_{bone} \)
Hydrostatic BP (Giraffe)
\( P_{head} = P_{heart} - \rho g h \)
Muscular Hydrostat
\( \sum F_{long} = 0, \quad V = \text{const} \)
Sprint Energetics
\( P_{sprint} = \frac{1}{2}\rho C_d A v^3 + \mu M g v \)
Infrasound Range
\( R \approx \frac{v_s}{2\alpha(f) f^{n}} \)
About This Course
African savanna megafauna embody extreme biology. An adult bull elephant carries 6 t of tissue through 40 °C heat, broadcasts < 20 Hz calls 10 km through the ground, and balances a 150 kg trunk of 40 000 muscles with no bones. A giraffe pumps blood at 280 mmHg — enough to burst a human artery — yet does not stroke when it lowers its head. A lion can generate 4400 N of bite force at the canines; a jaguar beats it at 6000 N, enough to puncture a caiman skull through the braincase.
This graduate course treats each iconic taxon in detail, grounding the physiology in quantitative physics: Kleiber scaling, limb allometry, muscular hydrostat mechanics, hydrostatic circulation, sprint aerodynamics, bite-force geometry, and bioacoustic propagation. Each module pairs species-specific biology with worked derivations and Python simulations.
Cross-links: Feline Biophysics for detailed cat physiology, Cetacean Biophysics for the marine-mammal counterpart, Climate & Biodiversity M13 for climate threats to savanna fauna.
Nine Modules
M0
Megafauna Scaling Laws
Kleiber metabolic scaling, Schmidt-Nielsen principles, limb allometry, gut-transit times, bone stress scaling, heart-rate vs. body-mass relations.
M1
Elephant I: Trunk & Infrasound
Muscular hydrostat mechanics, 40 000-muscle trunk, infrasonic communication <20 Hz, seismic signaling through feet, Poole 1987 matriarch semantics.
M2
Elephant II: Thermoregulation & Cognition
Ear radiator, lack of sweat glands, tusk dentine mechanics, foot pad sensitivity, mirror self-recognition, TRPV1 variants, grief rituals.
M3
Giraffe Biophysics
280 mmHg blood pressure, 8-valve jugular cascade, skin as anti-g suit, laryngeal nerve length, long-neck allometry, fetal gulp, neck-to-neck combat.
M4
Rhinoceros & Hippopotamus
Rhino keratin horn mechanics, charge biomechanics, hippo hipposudoric acid (red sweat), amphibious thermoregulation, submerged combat, mortality statistics.
M5
Big Cat Predation Biomechanics
Lion pride tactics, cheetah Acinonyx aerodynamic top speed, leopard scansorial mechanics, ambush vs. coursing energetics, jaw-adductor force scaling.
M6
Panthera Cross-Species
Jaguar Panthera onca bite-force scaling, snow leopard altitude adaptation, Florida panther genetic rescue, Amur tiger cold tolerance, roaring anatomy.
M7
Ungulate Herds
Wildebeest Connochaetes migration energetics, zebra Equus quagga stripe thermoregulation hypotheses, Cape buffalo herd dynamics, eland metabolic thrift.
M8
Conservation Biophysics
Poaching detection (acoustic/ML), GPS collar energetics, translocation physiology, human-wildlife conflict modeling, IPZ + PVA, Red List trajectories.
Recommended Textbooks
- [1] Schmidt-Nielsen, K. (1984). Scaling: Why is Animal Size so Important? Cambridge University Press.
- [2] Alexander, R. McN. (2003). Principles of Animal Locomotion. Princeton University Press.
- [3] Moss, C. J., Croze, H. & Lee, P. C. (2011). The Amboseli Elephants: A Long-Term Perspective on a Long-Lived Mammal. University of Chicago Press.
- [4] Schaller, G. B. (1972). The Serengeti Lion. University of Chicago Press.
- [5] Mitchell, G. (2021). How Giraffes Work. Oxford University Press.
- [6] Estes, R. D. (1991). The Behavior Guide to African Mammals. University of California Press.